Choosing between LinkedIn and Facebook for B2B advertising isn't about picking a winner—it's about understanding which platform delivers better ROI for your specific goals. Both platforms reach business decision-makers, but they do so in fundamentally different contexts with dramatically different cost structures.
This guide compares LinkedIn ads vs Facebook ads across every dimension that matters for B2B marketers: costs, targeting, audience quality, and campaign effectiveness.
LinkedIn provides access to over 900 million professionals in a business-focused mindset. Users actively share career updates, industry content, and engage with professional development material.
Key strengths:
Primary limitation: Higher costs and smaller audience compared to Facebook.
Facebook reaches over 3 billion users globally across all demographics, interests, and life stages. While primarily a personal/social platform, Facebook's sophisticated AI targeting can identify business decision-makers based on behavioral signals.
Key strengths:
Primary limitation: Users are in personal/entertainment mode, not business context.
The cost difference between platforms is substantial. LinkedIn typically costs 5-10x more per click than Facebook—but raw cost metrics don't tell the whole story.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Average CPC | $5.00 - $12.00 | $0.60 - $1.35 |
| Average CPM | $30 - $65 | $8 - $14 |
| Average CPL (B2B) | $75 - $150 | $25 - $60 |
| Sponsored InMail | $0.80 - $1.20/send | N/A |
According to industry benchmarks, Facebook's average CPC sits around $0.62 while LinkedIn averages $5.39—nearly 9x higher. However, CPL tells a different story when lead quality is considered.
B2B marketing analysis shows that while Facebook generates leads at 2-3x lower CPL, LinkedIn drives significantly higher MQL-to-SQL conversion rates:
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Avg. CPL | $75 - $150 | $25 - $60 |
| MQL to SQL Rate | 20 - 30% | 8 - 15% |
| Effective Cost per SQL | $250 - $500 | $200 - $500 |
The takeaway: When you factor in lead quality, the cost gap narrows considerably. For high-value B2B sales, LinkedIn's "expensive" leads often cost the same per sales-qualified opportunity.
LinkedIn's audience skews professional with verified career data:
Targeting strengths:
Facebook's audience represents the general population with sophisticated behavioral tracking:
Targeting strengths:
| Targeting Dimension | ||
|---|---|---|
| Job Title | Excellent | Limited |
| Specific Companies | Excellent | Poor |
| Industry | Excellent | Good |
| Company Size | Excellent | Limited |
| Seniority Level | Excellent | None |
| Professional Skills | Excellent | None |
| Interests/Hobbies | Good | Excellent |
| Purchase Behavior | Limited | Excellent |
| Demographics | Good | Excellent |
| Retargeting | Good | Excellent |
| Lookalike Audiences | Good | Excellent |
The pattern: LinkedIn wins decisively for professional targeting. Facebook wins for behavioral and interest-based targeting.
| Format | Best For | Avg. Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Single Image Ads | Lead gen, brand awareness | Standard benchmark |
| Video Ads | Thought leadership, demos | Higher engagement |
| Carousel Ads | Multi-feature products | Good CTR |
| Document Ads | Gated content, lead gen | 22.7% form completion |
| Message Ads (InMail) | Direct outreach, events | High open rates |
| Lead Gen Forms | Lead capture | Pre-filled data, higher conversion |
| Format | Best For | Avg. Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Single Image Ads | Traffic, awareness | Cost-efficient |
| Video Ads | Engagement, storytelling | Highest reach |
| Carousel Ads | Multiple products/features | Good CTR |
| Collection Ads | E-commerce, catalogs | Mobile-optimized |
| Lead Ads | Lead generation | Lower friction |
| Stories/Reels | Awareness, engagement | High visibility |
Key difference: LinkedIn's Document Ads and Lead Gen Forms with pre-filled professional data consistently outperform Facebook's lead capture for B2B use cases.
LinkedIn is the clear choice when:
If you need to reach "VP of Finance at companies with 500+ employees in the manufacturing industry," LinkedIn's precision is unmatched. No other platform offers this level of professional targeting accuracy.
LinkedIn allows you to upload target account lists and reach specific employees at those companies. This is essential for enterprise ABM strategies where you're pursuing named accounts.
When your average deal size exceeds $5,000, LinkedIn's higher costs become justified. The math works: a $150 CPL is easily absorbed when customer lifetime value reaches $50,000+.
Industries where buying decisions involve multiple stakeholders and professional evaluation see LinkedIn excel. Consulting, enterprise software, financial services, and recruiting consistently perform well.
LinkedIn's professional context makes it ideal for establishing industry expertise. Content that positions your brand as a thought leader resonates better in a business-focused environment.
Facebook delivers better ROI when:
With CPCs under $1.50 and CPLs around $25-60, Facebook stretches marketing dollars further. For companies testing product-market fit or operating on limited budgets, Facebook offers more data per dollar.
Facebook's massive reach and lower CPM make it ideal for broad awareness campaigns. When you need millions of impressions to build brand recognition, Facebook's cost structure works better.
Facebook's retargeting capabilities are superior, with more granular audience segmentation and better frequency optimization. For nurturing leads through long B2B sales cycles, Facebook excels.
Some B2B products have consumer-like buying behavior (business software for freelancers, small business tools). These often perform better on Facebook where the personal/professional line is blurred.
Facebook's AI-driven lookalike modeling remains industry-leading. When you have strong customer data and want to find similar prospects at scale, Facebook typically outperforms.
The most effective B2B strategies often combine both platforms strategically.
According to B2B marketing analysis:
Facebook/Meta Ads perform best for:
LinkedIn Ads perform best for:
| Company Stage | LinkedIn Allocation | Facebook Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| Early Stage (Testing) | 30% | 70% |
| Growth Stage | 50% | 50% |
| Enterprise/ABM Focus | 70% | 30% |
The highest-performing B2B teams use Facebook for demand creation and LinkedIn for demand capture:
It depends on your definition of ROI. Facebook delivers better cost efficiency (lower CPL, CPC), while LinkedIn often delivers better lead quality (higher MQL-to-SQL rates). For high-value B2B sales, LinkedIn frequently wins on cost-per-opportunity despite higher surface metrics.
Yes, but indirectly. Facebook uses behavioral signals, interests, and lookalike modeling rather than verified professional data. It works well for broad B2B awareness and retargeting but struggles with precise job title or company targeting that LinkedIn excels at.
For companies with sufficient budget ($5,000+/month), running both platforms strategically typically outperforms single-platform approaches. Use Facebook for top-of-funnel awareness and nurturing, LinkedIn for bottom-of-funnel conversion and ABM.
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